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Pan Am Games would spread beyond GTA

Organizers of the 2015 Pan Am Games have released a list of proposed venues that extend from Hamilton to Oshawa to Brampton, with many key competition venues centred in Toronto.

Toronto's Rogers Centre, shown in this 1993 file photo and known back then as the SkyDome, made its debut in 1989. (TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

By Vanessa LuCITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Wed., Feb. 18, 2009

Organizers of the 2015 Pan Am Games have released a list of proposed venues that extend from Hamilton to Oshawa to Brampton, with many key competition venues centred in Toronto including gymnastics, swimming, and basketball.

Opening and closing ceremonies for the 17-day games that would run from July 10 to 26 will be at Rogers Centre.

Many sports would be at Ontario Place and Exhibition Place including artistic and rhythmic gymnastics at Ricoh Coliseum, fencing, karate and handball at the Direct Energy Centre, and beach volleyball at Exhibition Place. Triathlon would start at Ontario Place and finish at Exhibition Place.

The cost of the $1.4 billion bid, which has been cut by $300 million due to the economic downturn, will be shared by Ottawa, Queen's Park and some participating municipalities.

Toronto, which is the lead city, is competing against Bogota, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, to host the games. The 42-member Pan American Sports Organization will choose the winner in November.

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The bid is due April 30 and must list venues, event schedules and transportation plans.

The proposal, which was released today by bid chair David Peterson and Jagoda Pike, chief operating officer of the bid, covers 38 sports in 16 municipalities. Venues for a few sports have not yet been finalized, including equestrian and field hockey.

The location of the athletes village has not been set, though the West Donlands on the waterfront is considered a front-runner. The funding for the village is not included in the $1.4 billion price tag.

Many training and competition events are spread out throughout the region including rowing in St. Catharines, BMX cycling on Barrie's waterfront and indoor shooting in Ajax.

Popular events like soccer, diving and baseball are planned for several sites, giving spectators more choices.

If Hamilton agrees to contribute at least $94 million toward a $150-million, 15,000-seat stadium, it would host the popular track and field events. It has also been chosen for a new 50-metre pool at McMaster University that will be used for training, and a temporary velodrome for cycling.

Most of the venues would use existing facilities such as the Hershey Centre in Mississauga for taekwondo and judo, baseball at Richmond Hill's Green Park, and wrestling at Brampton's Powerade Centre.

Only a few new facilities are slated to be built, notably the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus, which will include an aquatics centre and a high-performance training facility to bring together elite athletes, coaches and medical experts.

The sports institute is considered the crown jewel of the Games bid, because it would create a legacy to encourage and foster Olympic-calibre athletes for summer sports, similar to one at the University of Calgary for winter sports.

The cost of the $170 million centre will be split four ways. The federal and provincial governments would pay 56 per cent of the cost, with U of T and the city each responsible for 22 per cent.

For Toronto, that translates into $37.5 million, a spending proposal that city council is to vote on next week.

Markham, which had coveted the aquatics centre, receives a consolation prize in terms of a new 50-metre pool that would host water polo during the games.

The federal government has promised $500 million, and the province will cover any shortfall. Cities are expected to contribute a share toward construction if a new facility is built in their municipality.

Toronto is also seeking up to $12 million to expand or upgrade existing sites, including refurbishing pool facilities at Etobicoke Olympium and resurfacing the track at Centennial Park.

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